PLENARY SPEECH BY MINISTER OF HEALTH OF MALAYSIA
Theme for General Discussion During 70th World Health Assembly:
“BUILDING BETTER SYSTEMS FOR HEALTH IN THE AGE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT”
23 May 2017
Mdm President,
Congratulations on your appointment as the President for the 70th session of World Health Assembly.
Honorable Ministers, distinguished delegates,
More than a year has passed since its adoption, and it is pertinent we take this opportunity today, to reflect on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and how it will craft the fabric of sustainable development.
In this plenary last year, I highlighted how Goal 3 of SDG can be the central tenet for development. When agricultural policies and urban planning is set with health in mind, the inevitable outcome is a trickle-down benefit to the health status of the population.
Distinguished delegates,
The reverse is also true.
A hungry world cannot be a healthy world.
A polluted world cannot be a healthy world.
A world where women do not stand equal, cannot be a healthy world.
Achieving Zero Hunger and Good Health goes hand-in-hand. In our passionate search for new vaccines and medical technology, we must remember that no vaccine can prevent the detrimental effect of famine, and no medicine can reverse the damaging effect of stunted growth.
Pollution and climate change is not simply an environmental issue, once it alters the pattern of communicable disease. In Malaysia, we learn this first-hand. Arbovirus infection such as dengue now spread beyond its typical temporal and geographical boundary.
Even gender inequality, long-thought to be the domain of social construct, has health implication. Evidence are mounting that our progress in health will be hampered if women are burdened with more social cost to access our health system.
These tight interlinkages present complex challenges, but the SDGs have the potential to catalyze into actions what we have known for long – there are common solutions behind multitudes of issues.
A societal-level policy to decrease carbon emission will benefit not only the climate, but also decrease mortality due to air pollution.
A societal-level measure to decrease meat consumption, will not only reduce diet-related diseases, but will likewise reduce methane emission that contributes to climate change.
It’s clear that synergy can be harvested through cross-sectoral partnership.
Mdm President, Distinguished delegates,
To build a better system for health in a sustainable way, our notion of health system must go beyond healthcare. This requires courageous steps as advocators, to communicate the co-benefit of innovative public policy for health.
In those areas that are foreign to us, we might not be able to lead, but we must always guide, so we can finally bridge the illusionary barrier of health and non-health sectors. Indeed, the SDGs make clear the case that all sectors are health sector.
Finally, Dr Chan,
As you are well aware of, Malaysia and WHO enjoy a synergistic relationship. We take pride in hosting WHO Global Service Centre, and to be an integral part in WHO working group for its reform. In the technical field, we work together in dengue, antimicrobial resistance, and patient safety to name a few. Sometimes, we do have our differences – but then again, this is the hallmark of any close relationship.
Dr Chan,
For all your relentless effort dedicated to improving the health of the people,
For your transparency and diligence in reforming a global health body we all can be proud of,
And for the unremitting support and cooperation rendered to Malaysia,…..
…..I Thank You.
Terima Kasih.